
Research group Sustainable Urban Development
Challenges in cities
More than half of the world's population lives in cities, and this trend is increasing. Urban areas are particularly responsible for CO2 and other emissions that are harmful to the environment and health. Therefore, cities are currently facing a variety of challenges, such as energy and transportation transition, social conflicts, climate protection, and climate adaptation. In order to achieve the climate protection and sustainability goals set by the German government and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” profound changes and innovative solutions are needed.
Interdisciplinarity as an important added value
Such challenges cannot be solved by a single discipline or academia alone, but must be addressed in a transdisciplinary manner. First, this requires effective interdisciplinary cooperation between actors from the scientific community. However, such cooperation does not happen automatically: it is necessary to open up disciplinary routines, come together as an interdisciplinary team, and develop together.
Establishing the research group
The aim is therefore to establish an interdisciplinary research group on sustainable urban development at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da), thereby pooling existing expertise within h_da. Drawing on insights from the science of cross-disciplinary team science, the group is developing a common understanding of the problem and testing different methods of interdisciplinary collaboration. This creates a solid foundation for joint research projects.
Team
Prof. Dr. Daniel Feser
Research focus
- Innovation systems
- Innovations for sustainable development
- Sustainability Transitions
Department: Social Sciences
https://fbgw.h-da.de/fachbereich/personen/dr-daniel-feser
Prof. Dr. Daniel Hanss
Research focus
- Environmental protection
- Sustainable consumption
- Adoption of innovations for sustainable development
- Efficacy beliefs
- Social transformations for sustainable development
Department: Social Sciences
https://fbgw.h-da.de/fachbereich/personen/professorinnen/prof-dr-daniel-hanss
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sven Linow
Research focus
- Transformation of the energy system
- Didactic (three textbooks published by Hanser)
- Regional (e.g., collaboration with the Office for Climate Protection and Climate Adaptation in Darmstadt)
- Long-term and broader in scope (negative CO2 emissions, hydrogen)
Department: Mechanical engineering and polymer engineering
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8354-3710
Prof. Dr. Axel Wolfermann
Research focus
- Transportation planning and engineering with a focus on urban transportation
- Sustainability in transportation, mobility transition, climate protection
- Bicycle traffic planning
Department: Civil and environmental engineering
https://fbbu.h-da.de/fachbereich/personen/wolfermann-axel